LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- From social media, to a sad reality. More and more young people are dying in Louisville and some people are pointing to social media.
"It goes down on Instagram," said Beverly Taylor, a woman trying to end the violence in Louisville. "A lot of stuff is on Instagram."
"Murder has gone viral. That's just what it is. That's just where we're at. It's trending, " said Demetrius McDowell.
McDowell knows life on the streets well. He got caught up in the streets when he was 14 and turned his life around a couple of years ago.
He's now 41 and started the group "Bosses not Bangers" to help young people.
"I can detour what's going on because I was them and they see me in them," he said.
McDowell said TikTok and Instagram have gone from bullying to full-on threats, which end up playing out in real life.
This was his message to parents: "Take them cell phones, don't pay the bill. Turn off the Wi-Fi. If you pay the bill, take the phone."
And the tough love didn't end there. Taylor, who also got off the streets after her brother was killed, had a message of her own to parents at the Chestnut Street YMCA on Wednesday.
"Check the kids' rooms, check their backpacks before they go to school, check up under the beds because, as parents, we have to be able to do this because until we get involved, then guess what ... the murder rate is going to go up every day," she said.
They said a war is raging in the city and they're ready for battle — something that's especially true for one mom.
"My son, he was shot at his bus stop January 7, 2019," Nicole Cowherd said of her son Richard Harper.
The pain and loss never really went away, but it was a dagger to the heart when Cowherd heard about Tyree Smith last week. The 16-year-old was also killed at his bus stop.
"My one goal is ... if I can save one your kids, then I've done what I've supposed to do," she said to the group of parents.
So far in Louisville this year 21 people under the age of 18 have been killed.
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